Monthly Archives

December 2013

i love christmas

The tree deserves its own post

December 5, 2013

Ever since I was a kid, putting up the christmas tree has been huge. It’s a thing we all get to do together even though we’d pretty much make a mess hanging stuff randomly but my folks used to let us put up a shiny ball here and a sparkly dangly thing there just because. Decorating the tree every year was practically an event.

To see the kids so excited about putting up the tree, that just gets me all teary and happy.

On the day we decided to put up the tree, Truett beamed and said “I think today is going to be a wonderful day.” This kid gets my heart.

decorating the tree

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Is that a picture of the handiest little helpers or what? These guys are professional tree-putter-uppers, is what I’m saying.

Speaking of professional, one of these days I’m going to come home with a real tree with proper firs, all bushy and full, and it will smell divine. One day. One day that’s gonna happen but for now, a girl’s got to be practical and make the most of a tree she’s kept in a box for the past 11 months. And the next best thing is to surround it with real pine cones my mom picked from Yosemite 15 years ago.

Seriously, these cones have been surrounding every christmas tree since the day my mom brought them home and they are going to be passed down to Kirsten as family heirlooms. Some moms pass on jewellery but my daughter is getting this bunch of pine cones.

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She’s clearly not convinced about the cones. Don’t worry, she’ll come around in a few years.

Just kidding. She’s admiring the tree. That’s her admiring face.

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Hey Christmas, we’re ready for you!

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seriously somewhat serious

A few words on giving thanks

December 4, 2013

This being the season on giving thanks, I wanted to take a moment to give thanks for all the blessings I get to count.

It’s been a good year (better than most), with lots to be thankful for.

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For family. My mom, my in-laws, my sister, my brother and Bernie. These guys are my people – loud and crazy and sometimes weird but always full of love and unwavering support. We haven’t always agreed on everything and I’m glad we never had to pretend to. I’m thankful for all the lovely warm dinners, chats over dessert, the help with the kids often without us asking, and Sarah for getting, no, sharing my insane Disney obsession. Mostly, I’m thankful for my tribe.

For good friends. Friends whose company mean the world to us. Friends who love us like family and don’t ask for anything in return. These are the very best kind.

For a fun life filled with fun activities. Trips to the zoo, picnics in the park, jumping in water fountains and wild roller coaster rides. Sometimes in the midst of all these activities, I’ll have an epiphanic realisation of how much fun we’re having and how much of a privilege it is to be having this much fun and I make a mental note to stop and be thankful.

For the paths we had to take and the lessons we learnt from them. This journey hasn’t been the easiest but having walked through the rough times and now standing on the other side (the brighter side), I’ve learnt to be thankful for the hard lessons.

For the small victories along the way. Little victories are the ones worth celebrating because they eventually turn into great big juicy victories.

For a home filled with love and laughter. A home I look forward to coming home to everyday. A home that’s my happy place.

For Truett, Kirsten and Finn, my three favouritest people in the world. These kids are the raddest in every way possible and I’m just so glad I get to be their mom.

For the husband, the love of my life. Almost seven years of being married to this man and I still wake up in the morning feeling like it’s a dream come true to be waking up next to him. We fight battles in the trenches together, we giggle like kids in fancy restaurants together, we have crazy fun together and I’d gladly spend the rest of my life doing everything else together.

 

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precious moments

Half eaten noses and things pertaining to such

December 2, 2013

Is it really December already? Decembers make me happy and panicky all at the same time. Every December, I feel like the year has gone by too fast (this year more than ever) and there’s so much I haven’t done and my babies are growing up at superspeed and I try to make everything slow down a little to catch my breath + more of the usual hand-flailing panic.

But then there’s Christmas to make everything seem happier, so that’s good. My tree is up, the lights are right where they should be and carols are a-playing.

It’s going to be a good December.

On babies growing up too fast, several things about my baby right at this moment.

baby Finn

//Mister Finn loves a good tickle, both in the giving and receiving. Yesterday, while Truett was distracted, this little tickle monster made a ninja-stealth move towards his brother, lifted up his shirt and started tickling his bare belly. And then they both tumbled around and giggled like it was the funniest tickle in the history of tickles. Boy-bonding is so weird.

//He’s mastered the hair swipe I’ve been trying to teach him for as long as he’s had hair. The first thing he does up from a nap is to peer at me through his messy hair and I’ll say “good morning, sunshine” while he sweeps his hair off from his face and flashes me an out-of-bed smile. He’s such a heartthrob, this one.

//He’s really into making faces. He’s got a face for all varieties of situations. The gorilla face for when he’s displeased, the dinosaur face for when the displeasure turns into something more severe, the thinking face for moments of deep contemplation, and the fish face for whenever. The fish face is an extremely versatile one.

faces of finn

//And finally, here’s how to treat a mouse according to baby Finn.

finn + mickey

#1, hold him by the face and look deep into his eyes like he means the world to you.

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#2, proceed to eat off his nose. Nose eating is a huge sign of affection around here.

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